Yelp adds videos from local businesses to its mobile app

The emergence of mobile and tablets apps presented a golden opportunity for newspaper retail ad staffs to go after new digital advertising from local retailers. The hole newspapers have opened up for new media ventures was obvious to many New Media start-ups. Yelp is one of those ventures, using geolocation – and its relationship with Apple Maps – to offer more and more services for local advertisers wishing to tap into mobile device users.

On Tuesday Yelp issued an update to its Google Play app, with the update to its iOS app making it through Apple’s system yesterday. Both app descriptions mention the update brings a new cleaner look for the app, as well as some code modifications that will lead to a smaller sized app you the user’s device.

The iOS app description mentions, though, that the app now will begin to features videos from local businesses using Yelp to promote themselves.

Yelp grew out of the incubator MRL Ventures in in 2004, attempting to create a Yellow Pages type product built around recommendations. In this way, Yelp could create a combination social networking and ad product. Late in 2009 Google took notice – looking to protect their advertising – and entered into negotiations to buy the company. Yahoo stepped into trump Google’s bid for Yelp, but the deal was not completed.

Yelp is featured in Apple’s Maps app, providing retailer information in search results. Late last month Yelp signed a deal with YP, the folks behind The Real Yellow Pages Directory, and earlier in March it expanded into Mexico.

In 2013 Yelp grew revenue to $234 million, up 69 percent from 2012. But the company is still in the red, though its losses were cut in half, losing $10.1 million for the year,